Buccaneers Give Up on Gaines Adams, Trade Him to Chicago

There's been some speculation that due to the number of awful teams around the NFL, this year's trade deadline could be the most active one we've seen in quite some time -- and perhaps ever. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, at 0-5, are one of the teams already eliminated (maybe not mathematically, but realistically) from playoff contention.

With that, the Buccaneers started unloading players to the highest bidder on Friday by sending former first-round pick Gaines Adams to the Chicago Bears for a 2010 second-round draft pick.

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Adams was the No. 4 overall pick in 2007 out of Clemson, and has recorded 13.5 sacks (including one through the first five weeks of the 2009 season) in his first 37 NFL games.

First-year head coach Raheem Morris was critical of the third-year defensive end in late September during a weekly press conference saying: "Gaines is one of those guys that knows that he is judged on whether he touches the quarterback or not. Right now he is not getting production as far as not just touching the quarterback, the tackles, the sacks. He's not getting any of that. He is not playing up to par right now. He's holding himself accountable. We have to hold him accountable, and it is tough right now. He is not getting it done. There are no excuses. There are no explanations. Gaines is not getting it done right now."

Adams will now be heading to a Chicago team that has won three in a row and, on paper, already appears to be quite deep at defensive end with Adewale Ogunleye, Alex Brown, Mark Anderson and 2009 third-round pick Jarron Gilbert.